Calls for compassion on Twitter

NEW YORK TIMES

December 15, 2014

Amid the panic at the hostage siege in Sydney that left two captives and the hostage-taker dead early Tuesday, a call for compassion quickly took hold on Twitter.

Sydney residents writing on Twitter under the hashtag .illridewithyou offered to stand in solidarity with Muslims fearful of repercussions from the attack. The sentiment took off on social media and was amplified around the world in more than 250,000 posts to Twitter.

A Facebook note from a Sydney resident, Rachael Jacobs, about riding next to a woman on a train who she believed to be Muslim struck a chord. She "silently removes her hijab," Jacobs wrote. "I ran after her at the train station. I said 'put it back on. I'll walk with u.' She started to cry and hugged me … then walked off alone."

A Twitter post by Michael James, identified as a radio producer and reporter in Brisbane, Australia, repeated that anecdote, which was then shared thousands of times. Another Twitter user, Sir Tessa, offered to ride her regular bus route with Muslims who contacted her, and quickly came up with the hashtag: .illridewithyou.

Most of the reactions on Twitter have focused on the good will coming out of the violence. Matt Hamilton posted: "Every so often you see things like .illridewithyou and realize that maybe humanity does have a future."

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